Am I Old Enough For You Yet?
by Torispeace
Summary: Five years into the future and Maya Hart's life was finally falling into place. She had great friends, went to a good school-oh and had feelings for someone who clearly didn't return them. When Joshua Matthews keeps popping up in her life, it makes it all the harder to get over him and move on. Follow Maya as she deals with friendship, family, drama, and relationships. R&R!
1. Control Your Actions, Darling

_**Hi, guys! I've decided to start a story about Josh and Maya! Don't worry, there will definitely be other characters involved! However, it's set in the future!**_

 _ **Now, please take note that I'm not sure if all of my facts about the colleges are correct, but I'd appreciate it very, very much if you'd just go with it! :D**_

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 _ **Control Your Actions, Darling**_

 _The chandelier hanging from the ceiling made a beautiful chiming sound as the cool air from the A/C unit circled around the room; causing the tiny jewels to cling together. The walls of the elegant restaurant were a light crème color and the paneling was a lighter shade of beige. And the paintings on the wall—my, they were stunning. She didn't know what any of them meant, however, she was sure there was some type of emotional meaning behind the colors and canvas'. Though, she did like to think some of them related to her, like the one that was only lines of colors that were all different shades varying from a dull grey color to a vibrant teal color. She wasn't sure how that painting worked its way into her life emotionally, but for some odd reason, it spoke to her on a personal level; like it knew her pain and understood her struggles._

 _Goodness, the people here were far too classy for her taste. The men wore crisp, ironed suits with shiny dress shoes that would reflect almost any object you held in front of them. Oh, and the women—suddenly, she felt ashamed to look just like them—they all wore extravagant dresses and at least three inch high heels. While the other women in the dining area of the restaurant wore dull colors like a dim yellow, pale purple, and dark beige, she wore a rusted gold dress that brought out the microscopic gold specks in her irises. Her date, who sat across from her at their glass table, wore a black suit and a slim, dark grey tie around his neck. How could he afford to rent a suit—let alone take her out to a restaurant like_ _ **this one**_ _—on a salary like his? Or maybe he owned the suit. She was now questioning whether or not if she had ever seen him in something like this. She never really went to any fancy events with him, so she couldn't be positive if he owned this suit or if he rented it and had to deal with the armpit sweat stains from its previous renter._

 _She finished off her last sip of her second glass of champagne. The restaurant was practically giving them away on a silver platter—oh wait, they were giving them away on a silver platter. She lifted her eyes off the stunning scenery of the room and glanced at her date. She then realized that he was only half way through with his first glass while she was downing them like a trucker. Embarrassed, she refused the next offer of free alcohol from the overly polite waitress._

" _No thank you." Maya Hart whispered as she stared at the thin, crocheted table cloth that laid over the other silk table attire._

 _Her fingers twiddled with the edge of the lacy cloth as the waitress seemed to notice Maya's change in mood. She hadn't turned down a drink all night—she even seemed eager to take one…or two—and now she was acting as if it was the plague._

" _Maya," Joshua Matthews chuckled wholeheartedly as his eyes flashed with amusement. "You can have as many as you'd like."_

" _But, you haven't even finished one!" Maya protested._

 _Josh diverted his attention from Maya and turned to face the waitress who stood patiently waiting for them to decide their actions. Her face remained calm, Maya noticed. She was glad she wasn't irritating the service here, she didn't want to get kicked out because of her picky attitude._

" _If you wouldn't mind giving us a moment to look over the menu, we'll be ready soon." Josh politely said to the waitress who expertly held the platter on the palm of one hand; trying to rid of her presence for only a minute or so._

" _Of course," The woman smiled sweetly at the both of them. "Take all the time you need."_

" _Thank you," Josh flashed a toothy smile._

 _The waitress nodded her head and walked away to serve another awaiting table a few glasses of champagne._

" _Maya," Josh continued as he leaned closer to the middle of the table—closer to Maya—and rested one of his hands over one of hers. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a puff of warm breath. Waiting for another second, he tried again. He sucked in a breath and finally said what he had wished came out thirty seconds ago. "The only reason I'm not rushing on the alcohol tonight is that I want to remember my first date with the gorgeous, witty, fun Maya Hart."_

 _Maya could feel her heart melt at his words and she maneuvered her fingers around to lace them through his own. Her cold, icy ones felt relief against his warm ones._

" _Josh, I-I…I don't know what to say." She could feel the corners of her mouth pull upward. Was she smiling? No, no, it was more than smiling she realized; she was grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you…very much."_

" _Anything for you, Maya." Josh mirrored her grin and gripped her hands a little tighter._

 _He stood slightly form his chair and leaned across the table._

 _ **What was he—?**_

 _And then it happened. And she never even had a warning. These types of things should come with a warning label, seriously._

 _Joshua Matthews kissed her cheek ever so lightly and let his soft lips linger on her blushing cheek for just a moment. If he hadn't been in front of her and leaned directly across the table, she might not have noticed him press his lips to her face; it was so light and soft and almost unreal. Her breath hitched in her throat when he pulled away. His face came so close to her's she thought he might lean in and kiss her on the lips; sadly, he did not; he just sat back down in his chair._

 _Wanting to replay that specific moment again and again—forever even—, she closed her eyes, cherishing it._

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 _Beep…_

 _Beep…_

 _Beep…_

"No," Maya groaned and shoved her face into her dark grey and purple pillow case.

 _It was just a dream._

Five years later and Maya still had an extremely passionate hatred for alarm clocks. She pulled her face from the pillow and reached over to pick up the digital clock. _9:31 am._ It read. She had an hour and a half until her pre-law class began. She threw the sheets and comforter off of herself and sat on the edge of the bed. The sun barely crept into the room from the guarding curtains that hung over the window. She swung her feet for a few seconds, her toes barely even touching the hardwood floor beneath her. She knew she had better go and get into the shower or else she would be running low on time, but she suddenly felt so comfortable…and sad. How could that have only been a dream? It had felt so real, so believable. Her emotions and feelings were all jumbled and tangled up. All she could do was sigh.

Suddenly, she got the courage to leave the comfort of her bedroom. She walked down the hallway and on her way to the bathroom, she pounded on the door across from hers and shouted her way down the hall.

"Riley!" Maya screamed, not caring if the rude people next door heard her; she didn't care. "Get up or you're going to be late!"

Maya never stopped to look back, she made her way to the bathroom and closed the door, locking it afterwards. She pulled her towel off of the back of the door and slung it over the light lavender colored curtain. She pulled the curtain back slightly and reached forward to turn the water on. She turned back around and stepped over to the sink. She began splashing cold water on her face while the water heated up in the shower. After she threw another few handfuls of the icy water that fell from the faucet onto her face, she looked into the mirror. It had begun to fog and that was when she noticed the steam hovering above the shower.

"Maya, I've been up for hours! I'm only waiting on you!"

Maya heard Riley yell as she undressed herself to get into the shower. Yeah, she kind of figured Riley was already awake, she rarely ever had to wake her up in the mornings; it was Riley that usually had to scold Maya for oversleeping.

She threw her dirty pajamas in the hamper that was overflowing with both of the girls' clothes. Then she got in the shower and the heat of the water woke her up completely.

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Maya eventually emerged from her bedroom fully clothed, make-up applied, and her hair let down in their natural waves. Her backpack felt slightly heavy on her back. She remembered her laptop this morning, which added to the weight of her pre-law text books.

"Riley, I'm ready!" Maya said while she walked down the hall toward their living area of the apartment.

She stepped into the room and she saw Riley speaking on her cell phone. Maya didn't say anything more—not wanting to disturb her conversation—and walked to the kitchen that opened to the living room. She might as well eat breakfast before they go to class; her substitute professor would drone on and on about rules of the court and objections she already knew about. She let out a small sigh as she made her way to their stainless steel refrigerator. The opened the fridge portion of the large contraption—really, it was quite huge; taller than Maya herself; which she obviously wasn't happy about—and scanned her eyes over what little food they had.

Leftover spaghetti?

 _No._

Leftover macaroni?

 _No._

What was that still doing in there? Maya reached forward and pulled out a container that used to withhold Riley's mother's delicious casserole. She flipped it over and noticed the discoloration and fuzz beginning to grow underneath the two-week-old food.

 _Eww, gross._

Maya didn't bother cleaning out the Tupperware container, being fully aware of how impossible it would be to get the grime off of the container itself. She walked over to the waste basket in the corner and stepped on the floor petal, dropping the whole thing into the white trash bag. They really should go shopping for groceries. There was near to no food in their apartment and Maya was about tired of it. She had been living off the food from the café right across the street for almost two months now and, as much as she loved their food, it wasn't doing her and Riley any good to waste their limited income on restaurant food every night.

"Maya," Riley sang as she skipped into the kitchen. "Go put your bag away."

Maya knew she wasn't finished, but she went to drop her bag in her bedroom. She could still hear Riley from down the hall.

"Was that Kelli? Did she say we didn't need our books today?" Maya yelled from her room. Then an idea popped into her mind and she gasped happily. "Is the sub taking the class to the courthouse today? Are we gonna see a real trial?"

Riley laughed at her best friend's guesses. When Maya appeared back into the kitchen and living room area with a hopeful expression clear on her face, she continued explaining what was currently happening. "No, we're going out to lunch with Uncle Josh!"

 _Uncle Josh._ Maya realized. As in _Josh, Josh._ The very Josh she had dreamt about the night before. The same Josh she had feelings for, but always got crushed when he bluntly turned her down, stating they were too far apart in age. It obviously _did not_ boost her self-esteem excessively. However, she learned to get over it…sort of. That dream last night hinted to her that her feelings haven't completely vanished, but what could she do? Her feelings were clearly not returned and she knew they never would be.

Recently, Maya and Riley had been spending a lot of time with Josh. Both of the colleges Maya, Riley, and Josh went to were both in Manhattan, but Josh's school was in Lower Manhattan and the girl's school was in Upper Manhattan; however they only lived about a twenty minute subway ride from each other.

Josh got accepted to NYU on a scholarship and majored in Art and Literature, he told them he wasn't quite sure which he wanted to pursue in the future, so he decided to study both.

The girls both applied to Columbia and received acceptance letters. However, there was one thing Maya had kept from everyone; even Riley. When she was seventeen and just beginning to prepare for college, she applied to NYU, Columbia, and a few other schools close to their area.

Part of her wanted to attend NYU to expand her horizons, to go to a nice school. However, the other part of her knew Josh had received a scholarship there, and what would it hurt to see Joshua Matthews around the campus once and a while? ...Or every day. But when she received the rejection letter in the mail, she didn't tell anyone. The letter said she didn't have nearly enough academic activities for their expectations. Even though Maya was more bummed than she thought she'd ever be, she almost wrote a letter back to NYU practically telling them to go and screw themselves. She got over it though; the rejection from the school…not the many, many rejections from Josh. Although she promised she wouldn't give up on him that one game night at the Matthews' home—and don't take her for a fool, she saw the look he gave her; the roll of the eyes and the pursed lips and she knew that he thought she would never have a chance with him—, she was beginning to lose hope. After all, hope is for suckers.

"Oh," She finally replied to Riley. "Wait, Riley Matthews is going to skip class to go out to lunch?"

"It's only—" Riley paused to check her watch. "Eleven-fifteen, Maya. I don't have my first class until one-forty-five."

 _Oh, right._

It had completely slipped Maya's mind that Riley moved her class to afternoon because of her part-time job in the morning. She currently worked at the floral shop a few blocks down. The job didn't supply a large amount of money, but it was enough to get by with until they graduated. They lived in one of the many apartment buildings in the city of Manhattan; therefore they were surrounded by many convenient shops and restaurants.

"But your job, Riley! We need the money! Have you even seen the lack of food in our—"

"Maya, today is Tuesday!" Riley stopped her. "I don't work on Tuesdays and Sundays, I told you that!"

 _She did? When?_

"I swear," Riley continued, but mumbled as she turned around to put her cell phone back in purse that laid on the marble counter. "You never listen to anything I say."

"Riles," Maya suddenly whispered.

Riley turned her attention away from her bag to look at Maya and she sighed. "Yes, what is it, Maya?"

"I had a dream about him last night."

Riley didn't have to ask. She knew who Maya was referring to. They often had conversations about this kind of thing, mostly when Maya is feeling down after they've visited with Josh. They usually ended in tears and several empty ice cream cartons.

"We went on our first date." Maya smiled through the tears that welled in her eyes. "Riles, the restaurant was so beautiful; I know it was only a dream… _but it felt so real_."

"Oh, Maya." Riley barely spoke above a whisper. Her voice was soft and sympathetic.

Maya had been struggling with her feelings for Josh for some time now and recently it had begun to get harder and harder for Maya to put them off and she struggled to keep them hidden. Well, no, not hidden, really. Almost everyone—again, no, pretty much everyone—knew of her unreturned emotions, but _every single time_ it somehow came up in a conversation with Josh, he shot her down _every single time_. But luckily, it hasn't come up in about two and a half months, so he had absolutely no reason to reject her.

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The bell sang loudly as Maya pushed the glass door of the café open. She held it long enough for Riley to grab ahold, then she let the bar go. She stopped right in the pathway of the door and searched the café for Josh. Suddenly, a light grey beanie fell into her line of sight and she immediately knew it was the young man they were looking for. Even five years later, and Josh could still pull off a beanie. She smiled softly to herself as she weaved through the customers that sat in the uncomfortable dining chairs. She didn't even look back to make sure Riley was following her.

"Josh," She spoke when she came up behind him.

Hearing his name being called, he spun around in his chair. His lips formed into a wide grin and his eyes flashed with what seemed to be happiness. He pushed his chair back immediately, causing the bottom of its legs to scrape across the wooden planks of the floor, making a deafening sound. He stood and wrapped his arms around Maya.

"Maya," He spoke softly as he mumbled into her blonde hair. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Josh." Maya laced her arms around his neck and squeezed gently.

They pulled away after a couple of seconds and Josh noticed his niece standing behind the blonde girl he just let go of.

"Riley!" His voice grew louder and Maya expected the looks the people around them were distributing. "Little niece, come here!"

Josh hugged her tightly and rocked side to side, pinning her arms to her sides and most likely hugging the life out of her. Riley began to giggle and Maya was shocked to find that she could make some sort of noise through the crushing of her lungs.

"Hi, Uncle Josh." Riley tried to move her arms to hug him back, but all she could do was wrap her forearms around his lower back.

Maya took her seat across from the one Josh had been sitting in. Josh and Riley finished greeting each other and they joined Maya at the table. There was light chatter between the trio as they studied the menus, searching for a meal that looked the slightest bit appealing. Soon, the waitress came by and she looked quite familiar to Maya. Where had she seen her before?

"Can I take your orders?" She asked with a genuine politeness in her voice.

"If you could give us another minute that would be great." Josh smiled lightly.

"Of course," The woman smiled sweetly at all three of them. "Take all the time you need."

 _No, no, it can't be._

That was the woman in her dream. That was the polite waitress who worked at the elegant restaurant in her dream. Why would this specific woman be in her dream? Well, they did come here quite often, so there was no doubt that was the reason.

"Maya, did you hear me?" Josh broke her out of her thoughts.

She looked away from the spot the waitress was standing, however she was gone now. "Huh? What did you say?"

Josh cracked a smile and laughed lightly, making his chest rise up and down at a faster pace. "I asked, what do you think you're going to get?"

"Oh, um," Maya contemplated. She didn't really get a chance to look at the menu since she had recalled the events of her dream. "Just my usual, I guess."

"Yeah, me too." Riley agrees as she closed her menu and sat it in front of her.

Josh nodded his head in reply and glanced back down at his menu. He was deciding between one of the hamburgers or one of the salads. He turned his head to look out the window; it was raining today, so he decided to go with the salad. He had absolutely no idea why that affected his decision, but that's what he went with.

When the waitress came back around again, the three of them ordered and talked as they waited patiently for their food. When their meals arrived, the delicious scent was almost enough to make their stomachs growl. The conversation came to a minimum when they began eating their lunches. There were words said here and there, but the only sound that cold mostly be heard was the sound of silverware scraping and clinging against the porcelain plates.

After everyone's meals were finished, Riley looked at her watch.

"No!" She scolded herself. "It's past one, I have to go; my class starts soon and I still have to run by the apartment."

"Hey, it's totally cool," Josh nodded his head in understanding. "I'll take care of this."

He pointed to the bill on the edge of the table.

Josh stood from his chair to give Riley one last hug before she raced out the door. They both wrapped their arms around one another for a second and then let go. Riley pulled her bag off the backrest of her chair and looked at Maya.

"Whatever you have to do, _do not let him pay for everything_." Riley instructed clearly.

Before Maya could nod or reply, Riley was half way through the café and she didn't want to yell through the restaurant. So, she sighed and directed her attention back to Josh. He shifted his weight over slightly to retrieve his wallet from his back pocket.

 _No, Riley said not to let him pay._

"No you don't." Maya ripped the ticket out of his hand. Just in time too, she realized. He had just begun to reach for the pen at the end of the table.

"Maya, seriously, it's fine." He chuckled airily.

"No, Josh, you don't need to pay for all of this—"

"Maya, how many times have you and Riley paid for me before?"

"That is so not the point—"

Cutting her off once again, he placed his hand over hers in the middle of the table. "Maya," He looked into her eyes. "Please, let me pay today."

 _He grabbed my hand…just like in my—no, Hart, what the hell are you thinking? This is not your dream, you cannot tell the future, and he will not kiss you._

"Damn you, Joshua Matthews." Maya grumbled and moved her hand from under his. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked off into the distance of the café. Josh laughed and finally grabbed the pen, messily scribbling his signature on the bottom portion of the piece of paper.

"Would you at least let me leave the tip?" Maya questioned.

Josh chuckled and his nose crinkled up and the corners of his eyes wrinkled. She loved it when she made him laugh like that—even when it wasn't anything funny that she said—,she knew it was genuine as opposed to that fake smile that he gave the waitress just half an hour ago…and in her dream last night.

 _Ugh! Stop it! Quit bringing that up! It's never going to happen!_

"You're hilarious, Maya, you really are."

Maya groaned and threw her back. This boy would be the death of her. He was way too stubborn for his own good.

"Josh, you're impossible." She spat.

Josh sighed happily and leaned back in his seat. "Oh, I try, I certainly do."

His words brought a smile to her lips and made her laugh lightly.

"Well, I should probably get going; I have to pick up some groceries on my way home." Maya stood from her chair and grabbed her purse.

"Do you want a ride?" He offered as he stood as well.

"No, no it's fine. It's way out of your way anyway." Maya waved him off as she pulled her purse up to her shoulder.

"You sure?" He asked warily.

"Josh," Maya laughed. "There's no need to go through all of the trouble of driving me to the market, it's okay."

"Maya," Josh spoke gently as he stepped a little closer to her. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all, I promise."

Maya thought for a minute. Did she really want him to go shopping with her?

 _Of course!_

She was trying to suppress her feelings for him and he certainly wasn't helping her case. But if he _did_ come that would make things so much more complicated for her, wouldn't it?

 _Yes, yes it would._

She sighed. "Fine, let's go, I don't have the time to argue with you."

Josh smiled triumphantly and motioned for her to walk before him. He kept up his pace behind her and rested his hand on the small of her back while he guided her out of the café.

She was definitely going to have to ignore those tingles that were sent up her spine and gave her goosebumps on her arms.

This was either going to be longest shopping trip she's ever been on, or the shortest.

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 _ **Here's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me what you liked and didn't like :)**_

 _ **Much Love,**_

 _ **Torispeace.**_


	2. Count Your Blessings

_**Count Your Blessings**_

The two of them pulled up to the grocery store on the edge of town. Josh turned the key and Maya heard the engine die down. Josh stepped out the driver's side of the car and jogged to the passenger side. He reached forward to pull the handle on the door. Suddenly, it flew open, meeting his hand half way, causing a few of his fingers to jam and he retracted them in alarm.

Maya stepped out of the car, her eyes focused on her hands that rummaged through the bag on her shoulder.

"Maya," Josh grumbled in agony. He held his hand tightly to his chest, hoping to magically nurse his bruising fingers.

Oblivious, she looked up from her purse innocently. It came to her attention that she had caused his pain. A small, airy laugh accidentally escaped from her mouth.

"I-I'm sorry, Josh." Maya laughed into her hand.

"No, you're not!" He finally pulled his hand away from her chest and shook it out through the air. "I'm pretty sure you broke my finger."

Maya scoffed. "Please, that door barely hit you; you're only being a baby."

Josh sighed in defeat as a scowl graced the features of his face. He didn't say another word as they neared the store's automatic doors. Even though Josh was seemingly mad with her, he still stood off to the side of the door and let her enter before him. Maya smiled softly when she was in front of him; she knew that if he was truly upset with her, he wouldn't have given another though about letting her through the door first.

She turned to the right and grabbed the handles of the shopping basket. Although Maya and Riley barely had any food at their home, they couldn't afford a whole buggy full at the moment, so they stayed at the minimum of a basket.

"You know," Maya thought out loud. "You're not really mad at me."

"Oh yeah?" Josh raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "And how would you know that?"

"Well, one; you're talking to me," Maya smirked and she didn't have to look at Josh for her to know he was nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Two; you're way too nice of a guy to stay mad at something so stupid. And three; you let me walk in the door first; if you were really mad, you would have walked right in the store without another glance behind you."

"Ah," Josh grabbed her shoulder to stop her and tuned her to face him. He then pointed his index finger at her head, close to her face intentionally. "That is where you are wrong, miss Hart. Even if I was _really_ mad, I still would have let you through the door first, or at least check behind me to make sure no one kidnapped you."

He wore an amused smirk after he finished correcting her.

"I'll have you know, Joshua Matthews, that I could take care of myself if I were to be attacked." Maya pointed her own accusing finger in Josh's face.

Josh crossed his eyes to look at the finger that was intruding the personal bubble around his head. The finger he still held close to her face moved to meet with hers. He hit it sideways, as if their fingers were swords battling.

Maya laughed, shook her head, and turned around to start their shopping trip.

"Oh come on, Maya," Josh whined as he jogged to keep up with her. "Finger fight with me!"

"No way, Josh! We're in public!"

"So, since when have you cared?"

"Since I became an adult…you know, you should try it some time."

"Ouch, Maya," Josh held his hand to his heart, started tapping his chest, and mimicked a pained expression. "That hurt me; _that hurt me right here_."

Maya giggled and backhanded his shoulder. "Stop it, you big baby."

"Now, come on; we need to start shopping." Maya continued speaking while advanced toward the produce section. On their way over, Josh tore the basket form her grip and ran off, mumbling something about smelling fresh cookies at the bakery. She only shook her head and continued her route toward the produce.

Once Maya arrived at her destination, she began picking out tomatoes. She grasped one after the other—like Riley had shower her—to make sure they were still fresh. She piled them into the plastic produce bag that she held in one hand. Once she picked out a few that seemed decent enough to her, she looked around, searching for Josh. When he didn't appear in her line of vision, she grumbly stomped over to the bakery.

"Josh," Maya grumbled as she saw a familiar grey beanie standing right in front of her. He was standing by the counter, most likely trying to charm the young, beautiful baker to give him a few free samples. She pushed her hand forward and grasped the young man's shoulder in front of her and spun him around to face her. And that was when she realized her mistake.

This, in fact, was not Joshua Matthews.

This young man's face was nowhere near as flawless and gorgeous as Josh's. Not thinking anything about it before, she suddenly noticed that this man's shirt was navy blue—not the black t-shirt Josh was wearing.

"Hey, sweet cheeks." The man winked in her direction.

Maya immediately turned around to look behind her. Was this guy talking to her? As soon as he spoke, she began to get an eerie feeling from the stranger in front of her.

"Never mind." She mumbled and quickly turned herself around, upset and embarrassed that she had mistaken this pervert for the sweet, respecting Josh.

"No, no, honey," He grabbed a hold of the crook of her elbow and yanked her back to him. "You came up to me."

"It was only a mistake." She spat, looking him in the eyes. "And you're hurting me, you asshole."

"Oh, I'm the asshole?" He whispered sharply in her ear, sending a wave of chills down her spine. Not like the ones Josh had caused; no these were of fear, of panic. The ones Josh provided were nice, calming, they caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach.

"Yes." Her voice came out ten times more stable than she thought it would have been. The way she imagined was her voice cracking—maybe squeaking the tiniest bit, too—and the man laughing a cold-hearted chuckle in her ear. However, there was no chuckle, only the pain of his hand clenching even more around her elbow.

"Excuse me," A fierce, but recognizable voice spoke and the man turned around to face the person who had interrupted his assault and he still hadn't released Maya from his grip, causing her to turn with him.

"Josh," She whispered gratefully. She began to squirm and fight against the hold of the strange man, desperately wanting to leap forward and hug Josh.

"Hold on, Maya." He said, and she knew he was making a silent promise to her; he would get her out of this.

Come to think of it, where were all the store's employees? How could they not notice a young woman was practically—no, not practically… _actually_ —being assaulted in a grocery store. A public place where many people shopped daily. How had no one noticed?

"Alright, man, you better let go her—" Josh tried to threaten, but the man cut him off.

"Or what, tough guy?" The stranger challenged with a harsh look in his eye. "You gonna beat me up 'cause your girlfriend hit on _me_?"

"Oh no," Josh calmly walked forward towards Maya and the lunatic. "I'm going to beat you up because you hurt her, are still hurting her, and now I'm going to hurt you."

The man tilted his head back and laughed loudly.

 _Seriously! Where was everyone?!_

"You think you can take me? Please—"

Before he had any idea whatsoever, he was lying on the ground.

"Ah!" The man screamed in pain and held his red, gushing nose.

Josh groaned in pain and shook his hand in the air, just like he did when Maya hit it with the car door. He stopped moving it long enough for Maya to catch a glimpse. His knuckles were red and one was spilt slightly. But he didn't pay too much attention to his hand much longer.

After a few seconds, Josh spun to look at Maya and sped over to her as if it were urgent. "Maya, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm—"

"No, Maya." He grabbed her left shoulder with one hand and gripped her upper arm with the other. "I need to know, _are you okay_?"

"Yes, Josh." Her heart skipped a beat when she realized just how close they were standing from each other. She watched his eyes as they darted back and forth from each of hers; looking for a sign of any indication she had lied.

"Alright," He whispered softly. Suddenly and without warning, Josh enveloped her in a tight embrace and it took a second to hug him back.

"Okay," He continued once he released her. "Let's go."

"But we have to pay for—"

"Don't worry, I'll call Riley; I'm sure she can stop on her way home after school."

"Josh—"

"Maya, we're leaving, okay?" He looked into her eyes pleadingly.

All she could do was nod. She placed the tomatoes that she forgot she was holding on a sales table in the bakery section. Josh placed his arm on the small of her back as he guided her out of the grocery store. Thunder rumbled when the two stepped out of the doorway of the automatic door. A light drizzle currently fell from the clouds as they hastily made their way to the car. Josh opened the passenger door, waiting for Maya to get in before he closed it. After she was safely inside, he jogged over to the driver's side as the rain began to come down harder. He climbed into the car and turned the key in the ignition, causing the engine to start up.

The ride home seemed slow and sluggish to Maya. The silence in the air was almost sharp enough to slice through a piece of wood. It wasn't that it was awkward or strange, it only weighed heavy on her shoulders. She felt embarrassed that she couldn't defend herself against that jerk. Well, she most likely could've, he had only caught her off guard, and she kept telling herself that to make her feel a little better. She knew Josh wouldn't tease her about this—it was a far too serious matter—but she still felt ashamed of herself. Could she even fight against someone if it really came down to it; without Josh there?

 _Of course I could._

She convinced herself. Today was only a fluke. Any other day and she could've knocked his lights out. However, some kind of feeling inside of her was glad Josh came to her rescue. But she would never tell him that in a million years.

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 _ **Hi! I don't know whether to say you're welcome or I'm sorry that this whole chapter was only about Joshaya. You're welcome, anyway ;)**_

 _ **Thank you, guys, for the feedback on the first chapter! I really appreciate it!**_

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 _Responses—_

 _ **Katie726— Here you go! Another update and more Joshaya!**_

 _ **Guest— Thank you!**_

 _ **LoveShipper— I know, she's a little too paranoid, don't ya think?**_

 _ **Ellie— Aw, thank you so much! Here you go :)**_

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 _ **Hopefully more to come soon! Thank you again for the responses :D And I apologize for it being so short compared to the first one…**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Torispeace**_


	3. Coming To Conclusion

_**Coming To Conclusion**_

"And then what happened?" Riley said smiling, the excitement of her best friend's story radiating off of her.

"I've already told you three times, Riley." Maya rolled her eyes, but couldn't contain her own grin as it grew on her face.

"I know," Riley grabbed the pillow cushion that sat next to her on their couch. "But tell me again!"

Maya sighed, the smile still clear on her face. She couldn't blame Riley, she was excited herself. "Then he punched that asshole in the nose and we left."

If it were even possible, Riley's smile grew bigger and what sounded like a squeal escaped from her lips. "Oh, Maya, he defended you!"

"Relax, it's not that big of a deal." Maya shrugged it off. "He's just a nice guy; he would've done it for anyone."

And then she realized—it _was_ a big deal. To her anyway. She liked it. She liked the reassurance that he would stand up for her. An all too familiar feeling started to rise in her chest.

"But you're not anyone, Maya! You're _Maya_ …and that's why he did it!"

"He would have done the exact same thing for you, Riles." Maya mumbled, losing interest in the conversation. She reached forward to grab the remote off of the coffee table.

"But I'm family!" Riley threw her arms in the air and huffed. "He basically _has_ to do it for me—it comes with the 'uncle' title. But he didn't have to for you; but he still did!"

"Okay, we're done with this conversation." Maya sat back on the sofa and lifted her feet onto the small table in front of her. She lifted the remote slightly in the air, trying to get better reception for the remote, and snuggled deeper into the soft, dark green cushions.

She tried her best to focus on the television, but her thoughts remained on a certain Joshua Matthews. She knew Riley was right, she usually was anyway; but for some reason, she didn't want her to be. No, that wasn't true—okay, on a certain level it was. She didn't want Riley to be right, because she knew if she was right, then that would plant some sort of sweet, glorious fantasy inside of Maya's mind and she wouldn't be able to contain herself. For so many years she fawned over the heartthrob that went by the name of Josh. Although her feelings were anything but a secret—and it sure caused her many, _many_ regrettable moments in her life—she always got shot down. It only took her another year and a half to finally take the hint he had been bluntly stated to her; he didn't return those feelings she clearly harbored. And that was the moment Maya Hart decided to bury those feelings. She hid them in the dark corner of her soul that no one dared to enter; not even herself. No one rarely ever brought them back up once she fiercely and ferociously denied them after that final emotional encounter with Josh. She was done being humiliated and turned down. So, from that moment on, she swore to herself she would never feel that way about Joshua again. And thought she had kept that promise to herself…until her dream and the emotionally unhelpful rescue that occurred no more than five hours ago.

Then again, how completely wonderful would it be if Riley was right? That would mean after all of these _torturous and humiliating_ years, Josh might return those feelings she desperately longed for. But what if she did go into that dark, forbidden place of her soul, dig up her unwanted—okay, maybe they were a _little_ wanted—just to have her heart crushed into a million pieces once again? She was still aware of the healing her heart was currently still going through. It already had so many stitches and bruises and cracks that she wasn't sure she could repair it again if needed.

Only for a second did she let her imagination wander off to the occasional fantasy where Josh returned her long-time feelings. If Riley was right, if he truly did finally return her feelings after all of these years, would that be so bad? Would it be terrible if she dug those feelings back up and let herself think what if? Surely, a girl could dream. At that moment she knew she had to decide. She knew she had to come to a conclusion on whether or not she should rehash those pesky feelings of hers.

 _No._ She told herself repeatedly.

 _Never again will I make a fool out of myself the way I did years ago._

And that was that. She would ignore any and all feelings and desires that she felt for Joshua. She worked on hiding them for too long and now was not the time to bring them back. But really, when was? Maybe never, she realized. Maybe she should never bring back those feelings. It only caused her pain and suffering as a young adult. Not that she was grown, what kind of pain would they cause her now? That was something she vowed to herself to never find out.

A loud crashing sound coming from the other side of the room caused her to fall back into reality. She looked to her left and noticed Riley was no longer sitting next to her. She turned to her right and saw Riley on her hands and knees on the kitchen floor. Maya sat up a little straighter to see what was going on. When she sat up, the light sparkled in whatever Riley was cleaning up on the floor. It didn't take Maya long to realize the many sparkling pieces were glass. But what was that red stuff on the floor next to it?

"Riley," Maya placed the remote back in its place on the table and stood to help her friend. "What happened?"

"I was trying to make us dinner, but I dropped this container from the cabinet—and I almost caught it, you should've seen!—but it fell from my hands and shattered on the ground…" Riley explained as a small embarrassed blush rose on her cheeks.

Maya squatted on the ground next to Riley and began sweeping up the broken shards of glass. AS she swiped her hand across the floor, trying to separate the small pieces into piles, her hand swept across something wet and sticky. It was the same red goop she saw from the couch.

"Riley," Maya tried to stay calm. She turned to face her roommate. "Is this your blood?"

"It's fine, Maya," Riley brushed it off and kept picking the mess up. "I'll find a Band-Aid once we're done."

But this wasn't a small amount of blood.

"Riley, give me your hand."

"Maya, I told you, it's fine—"

"Give me your hand." Maya's jaw clenched and she was not going to take no for an answer. Riley sighed and hesitantly rose her hand for Maya to examine.

"Riley," Maya gasped.

Riley's right hand was almost forty percent covered in blood. In the crook between her thumb and her index finger was where most of it was. Without saying a word, Maya stood up, bringing Riley with her, and brought her to the sink. While she held Riley's hand with one of hers, she turned the faucet on with the other.

"Come on, Maya, it's not even that bad." Riley said, trying to convince herself more than Maya. She winced when Maya put her hand underneath the warm water.

"Have you event looked at it?" Maya questioned, although she already knew the answer.

"No," Riley turned to face Maya. She smiled widely, purposefully trying to avoid looking at the blood falling from her hand. "And I'm not going to, because when I do, I'll pass out from the blood and you'll have to carry me to the Emergency Room."

Maya sighed and turned the water off while grabbing the dish towel that sat on the counter next to her. She began to gently dab Riley's hand with the towel. Once she was finished drying her hand, Maya released Riley's hand, letting her regain control of it again.

"Okay, just go ahead and start making you way down stairs; I'm going to call a cab." Maya instructed.

Maya handed the maroon colored towel out to the injured girl and spoke one last time; "Here, take this and hold it against your hand—"

"But it hurts, Maya!"

"Riley," Maya's voice suddenly turned authoritative. "You have to; to stop the blood."

Riley sighed and without another word, she grabbed her purse off of the coffee table on the other side of the room and silently made her way out of their apartment door.

Maya shook her head and pulled her phone out of her back pocket and dialed the nearest taxicab company.

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Maya sat seemingly patiently on the hard, foam chairs in the waiting room of the hospital. Although she looked calm and collected on the outside, on the inside she was bored and beginning to grow angry. Really, how long does it take to get a few stitches? Hoping to pass time, she began bouncing her leg up and down. But when had she decided to tab her fingers on the arm rest? Had they been doing that the whole time? She sighed and scooted down in the seat, rested her head on the wooden back piece of the chair. She closed her eyes and only hoped she was tired enough to drift off until Riley shook her awake, all stitched up and ready to go.

"Excuse me, can you help me find someone?" She heard a polite, but panicked voice.

 _Poor guy, he's probably so distraught over whoever is in the hospital._

She didn't look up, letting the man deal with his issues privately.

"Sure, sweetheart, who are you looking for?" The nice receptionist woman asked. Maya smiled when she remembered the woman was wearing _Rugrats_ nurse scrubs. She must work in the children's department, but they were shorthanded in the main offices.

"O-oh, right, um, I-I'm looking for, uh, M-Maya Hart." The man struggled to finish speaking.

Upon hearing her name—and in such and urgent manner—she shot up out of her position and saw Josh nervously peering over the desk. She could tell by the way he constantly shifted his weight from either foot that he was nervous and anxious.

"Josh," Maya stood from her seat and called out to her exasperated friend.

Josh spun around and his face lit up brightly. "Maya!"

The receptionist long forgotten, he quickly sped over to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and without thinking, he dropped his head on the crook of her shoulder. On impulse, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Even though she was utterly confused, she didn't mind this one bit. But she knew she had to have him explain.

"Josh," She pulled away slightly, but for some reason, Josh's hands remained on her hips. "What's going on?"

"You tell me!" He exclaimed. "I got a voicemail from Riley saying you were in the hospital and it was urgent."

"What?"

"Yeah, here." Josh pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. He tapped on a few icons and Maya soon heard Riley's voice over the recording.

" _Josh, it's Maya! She's been rushed to Manhattan Medical and she's in critical condition; please hurry."_

"As soon as I heard the message, I came here as quick as I could." Josh rambled and rubbed the back of his neck as his gaze fell to the floor. "I-I thought you were really hurt, Maya; it scared me."

"Josh, I'm fine." Maya promised as she laid a comforting hand on his upper arm. "I have no idea why she would lie, but everything's alright."

"Yeah, it sound nothing like her." Josh was just as baffled as Maya. "Riley doesn't lie."

"Right." Maya cut the conversation short. It now came to her attention why Riley would ever lie; she would only ever do it for best friends. She wanted Maya to spend time with Josh—alone apparently. "Anyway—"

"Wait, where is Riley?" Josh whipped around—letting go of Maya's waist, suddenly giving her a cold feeling—and searched the waiting area for his niece.

"Josh, please explain to me _why the hell_ I'd be at the hospital if no one was injured."

"Injured?" His expression showed clear distress.

"It's only a few stiches—"

"Stitches?!"

"It's only a few, Josh! She's going to be just fine."

"What the hell happened that she needs stitches?!"

"You're overacting!"

"My niece is in the hospital!—"

"Getting a few stitches in her hand! What is so wrong?" Maya's arms flew in the air in exasperation. Now, they started to grow louder and began attracting the attention of all the restless people who had been sitting in the same room for several hours at a time.

"Guys?" The pair paused as they heard the innocent and naïve voice that they knew all too well.

"Riley!" Josh disregarded his argument with Maya to engulf his family member in a bone-crushing hug.

"U-uncle…Josh…" Riley managed to breathe out. "C-can't breathe…"

"Oh, right!" Josh instantly released her, but held each of his hands on her shoulders.

After Riley and Josh shared another few words that Maya couldn't make out, Riley turned to her roommate.

"You know, Maya," Riley neared closer to Maya and brought her uninjured hand to her chin in thought. "This traumatic experience has got me thinking—"

"Traumatic?!" Maya exclaimed in disbelief.

 _She could not be serious._

"Yes," Riley said simply. "As I was saying—I think you should get a job."

Suddenly, Josh burst into a hysterical fit of laughter. He was laughing at _her_? He worked as the mail carrier in the NYU Architectural building on campus, for God's sake! What job could she possibly get that was worse than his?

"What?" Maya took a deep breath to contain herself. "Riley, I _will not_ get a job."

"Maya, listen to me!" Riley tried to reason maturely. "I only work part-time; my salary alone can't get us through the bills, taxicab fare, and grocery cost— not to mention this hospital trip! We don't have insurance to cover it, Maya. It's time you get a job; at least a part-time one."

Maya releases a defeated, stubborn sigh that she hadn't realized she'd been withholding. She would never admit it, but she knew Riley was right. She knew she needed a job if they were going to survive out in the world. And so a decent job is what she would look for.

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 _ **I can't thank you guys enough for all of your kindness! It overwhelms me in such a good way! I'm extremely happy that there are people out there who enjoy my writing! I have a few other stories from a while back that horrific! And I mean it when I say it, they were bad. Some are actually posted on here XD**_

 _ **AND GUYS I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THE LINE BREAK AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS IM SO HAPPY YOU WOULDNT BELIEVE IT**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter up soon! Give me your feedback! I'd love to know what you like, what you don't like, your suggestions, and your criticism!**_

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 _Responses—_

 _ **LoveShipper— I know! It's adorable :)**_

 _ **Angel1D98—Here's the new one! Thank you so much! I'm not entirely sure yet, I *think* there will be Rucas. And I'm still contemplating on the others! I'll let you know when I figure it out or if they're being put into an upcoming chapter! :)**_

 _ **Kh611—Aw, thank you so much! That means a lot to me! :)**_

 _ **HollyH—Thank you! :) Oh, I know! I wish there were more on the archive about them!**_

 _ **Jasper Casper—Here's the next chapter! :D**_

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 _ **Again, thank you all for your wonderful responses! I hope to have the next chapter up soon!**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Torispeace**_


	4. Surprises All Over the Everywhere

_**Surprises All Over the Everywhere**_

"Ugh!" Maya let out a low groan of frustration.

She had been attempting to start the Frappuccino blender for the past ten minutes and she hadn't progressed whatsoever since she started. There were too many buttons and knobs and switches and she had no clue what either of them did.

Sure, she had training and she tried to pay attention, but the rude, sluggish guy in his early twenties was just so horrible and repetitive that she blocked out anything he had said. Now, here she was, working her first shift at the Columbia Campus Coffee Shoppe, brutally smashing buttons on the blender, and the endless line of customers didn't help with her temporary anxiety and anger.

 _Just my luck._

Somehow, she was the only one working the morning rush—on her first day, might she add. Halley—the assistant manager—called in sick for the third day in a row, Maya heard. And she wasn't going to get started on Gerald—the cashier who had trained her. Or maybe she was. He called her last minute before the coffee shop opened to let her know that he wouldn't be in today because his hat had stitching problems and it was an emergency—or did he say his cat had stomach problems? Either way, she would believe either one he told her. This Gerald character had his lights on, however no one seemed to _ever_ be home, if you get her drift.

"Excuse me, miss," A middle-aged man called out to Maya impatiently. "I have to be at work in fifteen minutes; do you think you could hurry along with my drink?"

"I'm doing my best here." Maya turned to snap at the unmannerly, impolite man.

She decided she would only press one more button—that she had no clue what it did—and go get the manager if she eventually couldn't figure it out on her own. She knew that's what she probably should have done at the very start when she realized she had no idea what she was doing with the blender; but she had too much pride in herself. She would break the contraption long before she would ask for any assistance.

And so, she pressed the last button that still—surprisingly—hadn't been pushed.

"Ah!" She accidentally squealed as the cold, icy liquid splashed everywhere; in her face, on her apron, all over the counter space, and the floor.

She had finally found the correct button, however, she didn't realize until it was far too late that she had forgotten she to put the top of the blender on first. The coffee drink dripped down her face and she turned to the many customers behind her, emotionless.

"No coffee today, sorry." Maya spoke harshly through her clenched teeth.

The same man who had complained before stepped back up to the counter, his mouth agape as if he were going to say something and his index finger pointed accusingly at Maya.

" _Do not say a thing_." Maya knew that if words had a physical sharpness to them, this man would have been sliced into small pieces on the floor by now. She had had it with him and his nagging. No one was getting coffee this morning, especially not this guy.

Maya turned back to the mess she created only moments ago. She put her hands on the granite counter of the coffee shop; propping herself up as she shifted her weight to the counter for support. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She had only been working for about an hour and a half, but it seemed like an eternity that would never end. The sound of the bell letting her know the customers were leaving only made the sudden throbbing in her head worse.

 _At least they're all gone._

 _But I've most likely already lost this job…_

"Hello, working girl! Can I get a Caramel Frappuccino, extra whipped cream, and a shot of expresso, please?"

"I thought I told—" Maya began to spin around and face the customer that dared test her patients further, but stopped herself once she realized it was only her best friend…with someone else? "Riley I'm so glad to—who are you?"

"Maya," Riley said slowly and a little too kindly. "This is Kyle. Kyle, this is my best friend, Maya."

"Very nice to meet you," Kyle smiled politely and stuck his hand out for Maya to shake. She reached her hand out also, however, she retracted it once she realized it was covered in sticky, sugary coffee.

"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too." Maya didn't mean for her smile to come out lopsided, but it did and she knew it.

"Maya, what is all over you?" Riley asked as she glanced Maya over for the first time since she stepped through the coffee shop's door.

"I don't want to talk about it." Maya said through her clenched jaw and let out a huff of air through her nose.

"Anyway," Riley changed the subject, but she knew she would definitely get the full story from Maya sooner or later. "If you could go ahead and start making my coffee that would be wonderful. Oh, and I know Josh will want—"

"Josh?" Maya spoke and her voice squeaked the slightest bit.

"Oh, yeah! I invited him to come and see you on your first working day!" Riley grinned a wide grin and bounced a little out of excitement.

"Riley, why would you do that?" Maya's voice rose and she slammed the plastic cup she had just picked up on the counter in front of her.

"Well—"

Before Riley could finish her explanation, the bell at the front of the shop chimed loudly.

"Whoa, where is everyone? Maya, are you that unpleasant to people that you can't even keep a steady flow of customers?" Josh asked smugly as a smirk grew on his lips.

"Get out!" Maya screamed and crouched behind the counter to hide.

"Warm welcome." Josh mumbled sarcastically under his breath.

"She's a mess…literally." Riley turned to whisper into Josh's shoulder.

"Kyle?" Ignoring Riley's comment, Josh's voice twisted in confusion. He turned his attention away from the girl behind the counter for a moment to inspect his friend—and personally noted how close he was standing next to his niece. "What are you doing here?"

"You know him?" Riley turned to Kyle for an answer.

"Oh, yeah, uh, we go to school together." Kyle let out a strangled, breathy chuckle and buried his hands in his front pockets. "But how do you two know each other?"

"She's my niece."

"He's my uncle." Both relatives replied simultaneously and it was a little difficult for Kyle to pick up on what each of them had said.

Maya apparently long forgotten for the moment, Kyle spoke up once again. "Man, I didn't know she was related to you—"

"Just stop," Josh cut him off abruptly. He pointed an accusing finger at his friend. "We're going to talk about this later."

"Oh, come on, Josh—" Kyle took one step forward and reached a reasoning hand out to Josh. However, he briskly shut his mouth when Josh glared at him and Riley placed a calm hand on his shoulder, signaling for him to let it go.

With one last deathly stare at Kyle, Josh turned back to the counter and his jaw loosened and his eyes softened as he remembered the blonde hiding behind the marble counter.

"Come on, Hart, how bad could it be?" Josh chuckled lightly and leaned over the counter.

A hilarious—or horrific, he couldn't tell—sight fell before his eyes. Maya had scrunched herself into a ball and seemed to be trying to crouch down even lower toward the ground. The top her head appeared mostly clean, but the front half—that he could see—was covered in a crème colored liquid that looked as if it were already drying; making her hair stick and clamp together.

A sudden feeling of bravery washed over her. What was she so afraid of? She already made up her mind and decided she had to let her feelings towards Josh go; so why was she so cautious of him seeing her this way? She had nothing to hide anymore; she didn't need to constantly hide from her best friend's uncle.

So she stood up and faced the fears that seemed to be withering away.

Josh's grin visibly grew wider at the glance of Maya's messy state. The lights mounted in the ceiling tiles reflected in his luminous, light sapphire eyes. They looked beautiful and Maya had to force the familiar feeling in her chest to vanish.

"Very, very bad." Maya spoke slowly and harshly.

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Never in her life had she imagined wearing something this extravagant. The black dress she wore most likely cost more than her and Riley's campus apartment. Well, honestly, she wasn't sure; she was only guessing. Riley wouldn't let her look at the price tag before she bought the dress for Maya.

She tugged and pulled on the lace skirt of the dress, attempting to make the dress longer. To no avail, the dress remained its original length just above her mid-thigh area. She huffed in defeat. After getting lost in her reflection of the mirror for a few seconds, she forgot she had to be somewhere. Panicked, Maya searched her wall for the ticking clock and realized that if she didn't leave right then, she would be late for her monthly dinner with Shawn and her mother.

As she left her room, grabbed her wallet off of the kitchen island, and said a small goodbye to Riley—who only waved since she was too engrossed in the television show she had turned on their TV—she remembered the time Shawn and her mother told her they were getting together. Come to think of it, it was much like the current night. She was meeting them at an extremely lovely restaurant, just like when they announced their getting together and the time they declared their engagement. What was the occasion this time then?

 _Oh Lord, please don't let them be getting a divorce._

The loud erupting noise of a car horn brutally ripped her from her thoughts. The yellow taxi was mere inches away from her as she stared at her reflection in the rear window. When had she gotten downstairs? Shaking the feeling, she opened the door and climbed into the back seat. She quickly voiced the directions to the restaurant, which she was to meet her mother and Shawn, to the driver and in response he tilted the lid of his baseball cap.

About twenty minutes or so went by—which felt like only five—and, once again, she was torn from the unrelated thoughts running through her mind. The taxicab driver speaking impatiently to from the front seat, demanding his money and for her to get out of his car.

"Oh, right, sorry." Maya mumbled softly with a small hint of offence. She rummaged through her pocket book and managed to pull together the correct amount of cash. She was eternally grateful that her mother and step-father covered the cost of their monthly get-togethers. If she could barely pay the cabdriver for a twenty minute ride, how could anyone expect her to pay for a six-teen dollar entrée?

She got out of the car and purposefully slammed the door harder than usual, hoping the driver received the message of her irritation. She sighed and cleared herself of all corrupt thoughts. She didn't want to ruin the dinner. She only got to see her parents once a month and there was no use wasting those two hours with harsh glares and abrupt answers all because of some moody, PMSing—she believed men had them, too; just without all of the mess it provided. That, or all of the men in the entire world planned to have shitty moods for at least one week out the month—taxicab company driver. It wasn't worth it.

Once she entered the delicate doors of the restaurant, she stopped at the hostess stand. No one was there currently, but soon enough someone noticed her waiting.

"Good evening miss," The raven haired man smiled. "Table for one? Or will someone be joining you?"

"Actually, I'm joining someone." Maya smiled back at the kind man, who seemed in his early thirties. "Hunter?"

"Ah, yes, they've already arrived." The waiter grabbed another laminated menu from behind the hostess post. "Right this way, ma'am."

Maya followed him back into the dining area and she suddenly had a feeling a déjà vu. Had she ever been here before? Even if she had, she could've never afford a meal at a place like this. The chandelier that hung high from the ceiling twinkled in the light and—

 _Oh._

It hit her like an oncoming truck. This place reminded her of the dream she had about a week before. The dream that contained Joshua Matthews. Now that she thought about it, when had there been a time her dreams didn't consist of Josh? Even after she swore to herself she'd get over him, he still clouded her mind and she felt it were unfair. Unfair because she would never have him. Unfair because of such a fool she made of herself all of those years. Unfair because she knew he would never feel the same. Most of all, it was unfair because she had felt this way _for so long_ and it was torture, it had been tearing her apart for all of those years and now she had finally had enough.

"Here we are, miss." The waiter laid her menu on the table across from where Shawn and her mom sat.

She smiled a small smile as a thank you and took her seat diagonally from her parents. Neither one of them said a word, but the cheerful grins on their faces were undeniable. Clearly, there was not going to be any discussion of divorce tonight. She noticed as Shawn gripped her mother's hand on the table. Before Maya could get a word out, her mom spoke up, loudly and joyfully.

"I'm pregnant!"

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 _ **Hi! So sorry for the delay. Who loved the newest episode of Girl Meets World?! I did!**_

 _ **Warning: Spoilers ahead from the most recent episode of Girl Meets World!**_

 _ **It was wonderful and I was overjoyed from the amount of Joshaya. I loved how the college girls helped out Maya in her situation…and were pretty much completely on her side!**_

 _ **Haha and the one guy—don't remember his name .-.—was the best!**_

 _ **Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews!**_

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 _Responses—_

 _ **LoveShipper— Thank you :)**_

 _ **Katie M—Haha, I know! Thank you!**_

 _ **Guest—Thank you! Here it is! :)**_

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 _ **Thank you all, again! I have some good—at least I think so ;)—for this story, so stay tuned!**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Torispeace**_


	5. Beauty Comes With A Price, Sweetie

_**Beauty Comes With A Price, Sweetie**_

Shock. Overwhelming shock.

That was all Maya felt last night when her parents broke the news to her. She was going to be a big sister?

 _I'm going to be a big sister._

One day later, she finally let it sink in. She couldn't exactly place the feeling she felt. It was a mixture of joy, surprise, nerves, and terror.

Joy for herself and her family. She was overjoyed; she had always wanted a younger sibling. Someone to take care of, someone the watch over, someone to be a role model to. When she was younger, she had always been slightly jealous of Riley—for many things, however, right now we're only mentioning one—for having a younger sibling to teach things to, to goof off with, to have secrets with, and to freely hand out advice. She couldn't wait for all of that. Too bad they had to be such years apart.

Surprise for, again, herself and her family. Not once did Maya ever hear her parents discuss children—not that she knew of, anyway. Although, she did know Shawn always wanted children of his own. In a way, he sort of did have one; Maya. But she knew he wanted one of his own blood, and now he was getting exactly what he wanted. Last night, it seemed almost as if Shawn were more excited than her mother. The thought made her smile and laugh slightly.

Nerves for her mother, and maybe a little for Shawn. She was nervous because of a little something she—surprisingly—remembered from health class back in high school. It wasn't impossible for woman her mother's age to get pregnant, just slightly risky. She did remember what her health teacher had said though; only forty-percent of woman have complications and end up losing the baby. She knew the odds were in her mother's favor, but she couldn't help but worry given their past track of luck.

And finally, terror for the child; for her younger sibling. She was scared her sister—or brother, but she was hoping the baby to be a little girl; a younger sister, who would look up to Maya—would end up having a life like hers was; lonely and unsupervised. Sure, ever since her mother married Shawn and Maya moved out, her mom had found a sudden maturity. All Maya could hope for was that her mother didn't decide to lose that maturity and ditch the baby. She had high hopes it wouldn't happen, but even if—in some shitty, _messed up_ universe—it did, she knew Shawn would never leave the kid undisciplined or alone. He would love that child with all he had and teach it the secrets of life, protect her from boys—or if it turned out to be a boy, then she knew Shawn would teach him how to pick up the best girls.

Now, as she sat in her pre-law class, she tuned out the substitute teacher as he droned on about something she had learned herself when she was twelve. She fiddled with the pen cap in her hand as she stared down at her desk.

"Alright, class." It sounded as if he were closing the seminar. "Read over chapter seven and we'll discuss it next week; class is dismissed."

 _Finally!_

She jumped from her seat and scrambled to get her books and papers into her backpack.

"Dammit," Maya quietly cursed herself as she watched three pieces of paper flutter to ground hastily. She attempted to grab them as they flurried to the ground from her desk, causing more wind for the papers to use to their advantage, not allowing her to reach them before they landed. She huffed and stared at them for a moment.

Before she could bend down and pick them up herself, see saw a hand grip each sheet and bring them up to her. She looked up from the floor and saw it was her substitute teacher.

"Oh, um, thank you." Maya spoke her words quickly. All she really wanted was to leave. She only had class twice a week and this man was wasting her free time.

"Anytime, Maya."

He knew her name?

 _Oh…of course he knows my name; he had to._

"You know," The teacher, who looked in his late twenties, ran his hand over his slick, wet looking, combed back hair. "Maya, I'm not sure if you realize this, but skipping out on class doesn't help your grades; especially in college."

She didn't like the way he was speaking her name. It wasn't like he was mispronouncing it, he was voicing it in a certain way that gave her fearful chills up and down her spine. And was it just her, or was he inching closer by the sentence?

"Right, I know, and I apologize—"

"You could make up for it, Maya." His brown eyes grew even darker as he visibly stepped closer to her. His voice softened—not in the way Josh's ever did when he spoke with her; this was different—and he grasped her upper arm between his fingers and squeezed tightly.

"Let me go," She spat. Her eyes flashed with fear and her heart raced.

"Oh, Maya"—there he goes, saying her name like that made her want to vomit her breakfast—"It doesn't have to be that way."

"You're sick." Her voice wavered. She ripped her arm away from his grasp and tore her papers from his other hand. She fixed the strap of her bag over her shoulder and, in a hurry for a reason, went to leave the room. All she wanted was to go home now.

With one more back glance in his direction—it was meant to be a glare, to shame him for what he had done, but she knew it was more fear than anything and she was embarrassed how he made her feel so used, vulnerable, _unclean_ —she stormed out of the classroom.

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"Riley, I need to speak—"

She cut herself off once she saw who was sitting on their sofa with Riley. The pair turned to look at the blonde as she laid her bag on the kitchen island. What was he doing here?

"Ranger Rick?" Maya stood in shock of the sight before her. There, sitting on her couch, was Lucas Friar; a boy she never thought she would see again.

A few years back, during the summer before their sophomore year, Lucas and his mother left New York and moved back to Texas to be with his family. She'd admit, it was a sad time, but it hit Riley the hardest. She sulked in her bedroom the entire break and Maya was the one trying to put the pieces back together for her. Eventually, Riley seemed to have gotten over it, not completely, no, but enough to get herself out of bed in the morning. It took Riley a good while to even think about letting anyone join their exclusive group that consisted of Riley, Maya herself, and Farkle. It took even longer for Riley to start looking for the right guy after Lucas left. Before he had left, she thought he _was_ the right guy for her, but Riley proved herself wrong when he unexpectedly announced he was leaving—for good.

"Maya," Lucas' face lit up as he saw his long-lost best friend.

"Hey," She breathed quietly. This wasn't a dream, was it? She certainly couldn't take any more surprises today; that was for sure.

Before she could make a move herself, Lucas stood from the couch and, within three step, he was nest to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Missed you, Huckleberry." Maya laughed slightly as she squeezed him back.

"You too," Lucas chuckled at his almost forgotten nickname.

"So, Maya," Riley spoke up and stood from her own position on the sofa. "You needed to tell me something?"

After a second, the reunited pair broke away from each other and turned to the brunette girl.

"Oh, um, right. I did, but it's not important now." Maya ran a hand through the front of her hair and focused her gaze on the floor.

Receiving the tension in the room, Lucas took it as his cue to head out.

"Well," He cleared his throat. "I should probably get going—"

"What?" Riley's voice mimicked a hurt tone.

His eyes softened at the girl's saddened expression. "I'm sorry, Riles. I don't live far though; just a few blocks down. We could have lunch soon, if you're up for it?"

His suggestion made her heat flutter just the way it used to in high school.

 _Wait—_

Riley reminded herself. Could she go out with Lucas? Would it even be an actual date? Not to mention, but she really didn't even know what her and Kyle were. Did they have a label? Were they dating, or just flirting?

All of these thoughts ran through her mind, scrabbling her opinions. Yet, there was one thing she was sure about: Riley was going to have lunch with Lucas Friar soon enough.

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Maya stepped out of the shower for the third time that afternoon. No matter how much soap she used or how hard she scrubbed, the feeling of uncleanliness wouldn't leave her. She sighed and tightened the towel around her body. Grabbing the hand towel off of its ring, she wiped the fog off of the mirror and looked at her reflection for a moment. A girl with a crème colored towel wrapped around her head and what seemed to be broken, life-less eyes stared back her.

 _Enough._ She decided.

She unlocked the bathroom door and pulled it open. She reached her left hand over to the wall and turned the vent fan and the light switch off simultaneously. Afterwards, she stepped into the hallway and began to make her way to the living room and kitchen.

"She tried to tell me something earlier—and I could tell it was very important—but Lucas was here. I guess she didn't want to say it in front of anyone."

Maya stopped halfway down the hall to listen to what Riley had been saying. Who was she talking to? And since when did their apartment become the hangout space?

"Maybe it's just some kind of girl thing, little niece."

 _Oh God, no._

Joshua Matthews' voice echoed down the hall and burrowed its way into her mind.

Maya could hear Riley giggle softly. "Like that's ever stopped her from saying whatever she wants to, whenever she wants to."

There was only silence next and the blonde assumed Josh had nodded.

"Okay," Josh sighed. "I need to get going."

"So soon?"

"Yeah, well, it's getting kind of late and I need to pick-up dinner on my way home."

"I have an idea!"

"Oh no,"

"It's a good one, I promise—you should just stay for dinner, Uncle Josh."

"Riles, that sounds like a blast, but—"

"No, buts. I can just order from the café across the street. You're staying and that's final."

Maya could hear Josh sigh in defeat. Maya smiled at how easily Josh gave into his niece talking him into staying.

The next thing she heard was the sound of their creaking floor boards. Where they going? Only a second later she saw Josh in the entrance way of the hall. Luck seemed to be in her favor at the moment, as he was facing the other direction. Slowly and steadily, Maya backed up a few feet toward her bedroom. Without glancing behind her, she reached back to feel the frame of the door. She kept her eyes on Josh's back. Her life would be over if he turned around and saw her standing there, half naked, in a towel, no make-up, and her hair laced up in a towel.

She felt for the doorknob of her bedroom door. Once she finally found it, she turned and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Quickly, she changed into something comfortable. After she pulled up her decent pair of yoga pants, she slipped a thick-strapped tank top over her head. The sudden noise coming from the air vent in the corner of her room indicated the A/C was about to start up. Already chilly enough, she began searching in her closet for a thin jacket. After she located her warm, cotton hoodie, she decided it was time to join the two people in the living room.

As she stepped out of her room, the all-too-familiar smell of parmesan chicken, four-cheese and mushroom pizza, salad, and blueberry pie filled her nostrils and made her mouth water.

"Yum," She voiced out loud when she saw the appealing food resting on the kitchen island. She grabbed a Styrofoam plate out of the cabinet and began stuffing whatever she could fit onto it.

She turned around and wondered how long Riley and Josh had been staring at her.

"What?" Maya scoffed as the question left her lips.

The two only shook their heads, signifying the looks meant nothing. Maya sighed and made her way to the sofa. She plopped down in the space between her two friends. The light from the television was the only thing illuminating the small room.

"What were you trying to tell me earlier?"

Maya heard Riley whisper in her ear quietly. Before answering, Maya turned her attention to Josh. He was watching the television program that playing on the TV and seemed to be enjoying the meal on his plate. He wasn't paying any attention to her, and that was exactly what she wanted right now.

Maya turned back to Riley. She leaned close to the curious brunette girl and whispered in her ear. "My substitute teacher came on to me."

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 _ **Aaaaand done! I hope you all enjoyed it! I just want to give you guys a heads up, I'm leaving for camp tomorrow afternoon and won't get back until Friday evening, so this is the last update until around then.**_

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 _Responses—_

 _ **LoveShipper— Yeah, at least she has the baby to look forward to!**_

 _ **Angel1D98— Thank you! Right now, actually :P Oh, Farkle will show up soon—as well as his love interest—I promise! He just might!**_

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 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Torispeace**_


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